


Resurrection

by armlessphelan



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VIII
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Multi, T-Virus, Zombies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-04 01:06:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/armlessphelan/pseuds/armlessphelan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The zombie invasion of Gaia as told through the eyes of one very angry, very incompetent SeeD student in training.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"It's so big!" Tessa whispered as she looked around. At sixteen, she was one of the older transfers to Balamb Garden. The large building was a pseudo-dome that was painted white with blue trim. It looked as though it ran the span of the entire building. The grounds of the Garden were home to hundreds of species of plants, some miniscule weeds and others large trees that loomed high over the ground. Their leafy branching spread wide and cast friendly shade for the students to lounge under.

Tessa held her suitcase at her side and crossed the courtyard to the administration building. She'd read in some book, about the history of the various Gardens, that the Balamb Garden where was currently was actually the second Balamb Garden. There was another one that could fly and sail, but it had been converted to Trabia Garden because its previous location had been struck with missiles during the most recent Sorceress War. In fact, Squall, the SeeD that had defeated the Sorceress Ultimecia, was the one that had convinced Balamb Garden's headmaster, Cid, to turn the mobile Garden over to the students of Trabia.

She was hoping to get a glimpse of Squall, because her best friend back home, Liana, had said that he still lived and operated out of Balamb Garden. She was excited mostly to be in a big Garden, because her last one had been home to only a few dozen SeeDs and a couple hundred students.

Stopping outside the gatehouse, the one that stood outside the administration building, Tessa set her suitcase down. She peered through the window and saw a man snoozing. He looked tall, well built, and his hair was blonde. He was wearing jeans, a blue shirt, and a long tan coat that stretched from his shoulders to his ankles. He also had a nice face with the exception of a scar between his eyes. His nameplate simply read Seifer. Tessa rapped on the glass and the man awoke with a snort.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked irritably. Tessa felt his eyes travel up and down her body before he gave a tired shrug.

"Um, I'm supposed to check in with the headmaster. I just transferred here from Lotia Garden," Tessa said nervously. Right away she didn't like this man, this Seifer.

"Where is that? Wait, no, why should I care?" he asked. Tessa squinted to see his face because of a sudden glare on the glass. "Fuck! Hold on!"

Seifer jumped out of his seat and opened the door to the gatehouse and dashed out of it. Tessa turned and watched his progress, watching as he began chewing out an underclassman that had just used a Fire spell. He grabbed the kid by the scruff of the neck and shook him rather roughly. "You know you're not supposed to use magic outside of class or the training facility. You're on cleaning detail in the cafeteria for a week."

"Yes, Sir," the boy grumbled before skulking off. Seifer smirked and narrowed his eyes, all but ignorant of Tessa's existence.

"Excuse me," the girl spoke out again. "But could you help me?"

"Sure, what do you need?" he asked with a yawn.

"I need to see the headmaster," Tessa repeated just as a female student in a tight civilian outfit walked by.

"Huh?" Seifer was unable to tear his eyes away from the passing girl.

" I NEED TO SEE THE HEADMASTER!" Tessa screamed in his ear. She was irritated that she had had to repeat herself three times for the security guard.

"Why didn't you say so?" Seifer said flippantly, rubbing his ear. He jerked his thumb in the direction of the administration building. "He's that way."

"Thanks," Tessa growled sarcastically. She made to pick up her suitcase, but Seifer kicked it out of her reach.

"This stays with me. I need to check it for contraband. You must have come from some real backwater Garden to not know the drill," he told her with a sneer.

"Whatever," she replied with a flick of her wrist. "I have an appointment."

The administration building held a design similar to that of the main building of the Garden. The only major difference was the size. Tessa wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt and nervously formed fists as she walked up to the door.

She unclenched her right hand and pulled open the large glass entrance door. The stiflingly warm air hit Tessa in the face and caused her eyes to water. Blinking away some of the moisture, she made her way to the reception desk.

The desk was untidy, covered with papers, manila folders, and the like littered the surface. There were several empty cups of coffee and candy wrappers in and around the wastebasket. Sitting behind the desk was a pretty brunette woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"I'm here to see Headmaster Cid," Tessa said as she stood at the desk.

"Name?" the woman asked.

"Antessence Matleo," Tessa answered with an eye roll. She hated her name with a passion.

"Right through that door," the woman said with a point to her left. Tessa followed the gesture and saw a plain wooden door she hadn't noticed when she had entered.

"Thanks." Tessa bowed her head and walked to the door and knocked. She heard a grunt followed by the shuffling of papers.

"Come in," a breathless voice called out.

Tessa grabbed the knob and turned it. She heard the click signifying that it was open and pushed. The door creaked open to reveal an office completely unlike that of the reception area. Everything was so neat and sterile, nothing was hanging loose and the desk was completely devoid of paperwork. It made Tessa feel even more apprehensive.

"Hello, Antessence," the man named Cid Kramer said.

Tessa recognized him from his pictures in the books at the Lotia Garden library. He was slightly heavy, a brunette, and wore wire-rimmed glasses.

"Hello, Headmaster," Tessa said. She saluted, unsure of what to do in such a situation. She'd never met with her previous headmaster, so she didn't know any etiquette.

"Sit down," he said, indicating a plush chair in front of his desk. Tessa sat down and looked at her feet. "I don't usually do this, but you're a special case."

"Pardon me, Sir?" Tessa said with a quizzical look and tone.

"I normally don't meet with my students when they join the Garden, but you are a special case," Cid told Tessa.

"What is it, Sir?" Tessa asked. She felt her mouth go dry.

"I don't want to drudge up those memories just yet, but I figured I'd break with protocol and let you know that you could come to me with any problems," Cid insisted, peering at her over the top of his glasses.

"Okay," Tessa said awkwardly. "Thank you, Sir."

"No problem," Cid said happily, waving his arms about. "I'll just have one of the SeeDs, Xu, show you to your dorm."

The conversation fell and silence quickly filled the room. Uncomfortable, Tessa stood up and walked to the door. "Goodbye, Sir."

"Goodbye, Antessence."

FFVIII

"You must be Antessence," a tall, leggy brunette said. She had a round, alabaster face and wore her hair down around her shoulders. She wore her SeeD uniform well, the black fitting her taut body and the gold stripes accentuating her ample bosom.

"Xu?" Tessa asked. She was clearly in awe of the fact that so many of the students and SeeDs at Balamb Garden were highly attractive.

"Yes, I'm to take you to your dorm, Antessence," Xu answered dully. Her attitude seemed to contrast sharply with her looks.

"It's Tessa," she corrected. "Antessence is far too formal for my taste, Ma'am."

"Ma'am? Am I that old?" Xu wondered contemplatively. "No, I'm only 25."

Tessa rolled her eyes. Adults were so obsessed with looking young. When she got older she wouldn't need to do that.

"Oh, right, your dorm." Xu was clearly distracted. She turned on her heel and walked away.

Following as quickly as she could, Tessa stopped long enough to grab her suitcase as they passed the gatehouse. Seifer made to jump out of his chair until he saw that Tessa was with a SeeD. Tessa watched as he slumped back in his chair, and the last vision she had of him before turning back to Xu's retreating form was the guard grumbling inaudibly.

They reached the entrance to the main building of the Garden and Xu made a gesture for Tessa to wait. Tessa held her suitcase handle with both hands while Xu talked with the old man at the entrance counter. The SeeD made some half-hearted gestures in Tessa's direction while talking to the guy.

He peered over Xu's shoulder and squinted his eyes to look at Tessa. All she could tell was that he only added to the number of wrinkles on his wizened face.

The old man shrugged and handed something to Xu who seemed reluctant to take it. When she walked back to Tessa, she held out her hand. In it was a keycard: black and gold like the SeeD uniform. On it was a series of numbers embossed in dull silver.

"That's your passport here. You don't leave, you don't enter, you don't eat in the cafeteria, and you don't check out books from the library without it," Xu said with a yawn. "If you lose it, then it's a hundred Gil for a new one, so I'd keep track of it if I were you.

"Also, you have to go to the Quad to pick up your uniform. If you ever get lost, there's a directory in the lobby. Now let's go find that dorm room of yours."

Xu led Tessa through the metal detector. Tessa had also read that it had been installed with the rebuilding of the Garden at the request of parents, even though it always went off whenever students and SeeDs carried their weapons into the building.

They passed the directory, which Tessa easily noticed. It was rather large and seemed to be a gathering place for girls who were playing the Triple Triad card game. Tessa had never gotten into it, considering it to be a childish indulgence.

Next came the library, which Xu pointed out. She explained in a droning voice about how there weren't that many books available since most of the books had gone with the old Garden to Trabia garden. However, there was an excellent Internet connection.

Tessa was excited by this, since Lotia Garden hadn't had a very good Internet connection at all. It had been too remote for anything fancy.

Next on the brief "tour" was the training centre, but Xu didn't talk much about it. All she said was that there were homegrown monsters in it.

"Here's the parking lot. The only time we use the vehicles is for faculty and exams, though. If students, and this also applies to SeeDs, wish to go to Balamb; they have to walk the trail. Don't worry; it's completely devoid from monsters. They tend to avoid heavily populated or heavily traveled areas."

They walked a little further and stopped outside a pair of double doors. "Here's the dorms, and that door," Xu said as she pointed a little further down, "leads to the cafeteria."

"Which room is mine?" Tessa asked.

"Hand me your key card," Xu said with a sigh. Tessa pulled it out from her pocket and handed it to her. Xu looked at the numbers and handed the card back to Tessa. "You're in room 32E."

"Thanks," Tessa said. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah right," Xu said as she walked away.

Tessa looked at her key card and followed the numbers painted above the dormitory doors until she found 32E. She reached out and turned the knob, pulling the door open.

Right away she was met with a girl of about her age that was sitting at a little table and writing furiously. The girl looked up and Tessa saw that her dark face had traces of acne and that she was wearing glasses. Her hair was in dreadlocks and the beads clicked with every movement. Relieved to see someone that looked like they didn't belong in a movie, Tessa let out a long breath.

"You must be the new girl, I'm Latasha," the girl said with a smile that revealed a set of white teeth. Tessa was afraid to return the smile because her teeth were yellowed from years of smoking, even though she'd given cigarettes up over six months before transferring.

"Hi, Latasha, I'm Tessa," the girl replied.

"I have the one on the left, just so you know," Latasha said. "Otherwise, make yourself at home."

"Sure thing," Tessa said. She went ahead and smiled despite her misgivings. Latasha didn't seemed to notice, which set her at ease.

She walked to the empty room. It was sparse, containing only a bed and desk, in addition to a solitary window over the bed. The bed had a single pillow, sheets, and a thin blanket. She set her suitcase down on the floor and walked to the bed. She sat down and ran her fingers along the bedspread. The fabric smoothly slid between her fingers. She thought it felt light and assumed it was because of Balamb's traditionally warm yearlong climate.

"Exciting, isn't it?" Tessa heard someone say. She turned around and saw Latasha standing in the doorway, her arms crossed. "I remember when I first arrived at the Garden; I was ten. They stuck me in this dorm with a girl named Joanne. She graduated at the last exam and is now serving in Dollet."

"I…" Tessa said speechlessly.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Everyone does, eventually," Latasha said. "I'm majoring in firearms, you?"

"Medical," Tessa told her proudly. "Bur I also study hand-to-hand extra-curricular."

"Sure," Latasha said with a shrug. "But don't forget to pick up your uniform before you start classes tomorrow. I have to go, Professor Aki will kill me if I'm late."

FFVIII

The Quad was surprisingly empty. Tessa had figured that a Garden the size of Balamb would have a bustling recreational centre, but she saw almost nobody.

There was a small stage, the portable metal kind with a white backdrop. In the centre of the stage two boys were trading lines that Tessa recognized were from "I Want to be a Canary." Off to the side, sitting on the very edge of the stage, was a woman in a SeeD uniform who was holding an acoustic guitar. Sitting next to her was a young man in a student uniform. Every so often he would take the guitar from the SeeD and correct a mistake she had made.

Next to the stage was a concession stand. It was manned by a bored-looking youth who looked as though he couldn't keep his eyes open. Tessa approached him with her keycard in hand, hoping she was in the right place.

The man was wearing a cowboy hat low over his eyes. He had long, brown hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. Tessa could see a hint of stubble on his chin and in his left earlobe he sported a hoped earring. Over a taupe shirt he wore a tan duster with fringes.

"Hmm?" he said when Tessa reach the stand. He tipped his hat back to reveal a handsome face with high cheekbones and dark brown eyes. The eyes traveled up and down Tessa's body appraisingly, which gave Tessa a cold feeling in her bones. He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the counter. "What can I do for ya, Lil' Missy?"

Tessa almost laughed at his bad accent. She found the whole cowboy shtick rather hilarious, but rather enjoyed his flirting.

"Ya here to see, Moi?" he asked with a grin that showed his white teeth. He jerked a thumb in the direction of the girl with the guitar. "'Cause I'm taken."

"I need a uniform," Tessa answered with a giggle. "Student, not SeeD."

"Y'know," he lifted his feet and plopped them on the counter, "we had different uniforms at Galbadia Garden."

"Oh, you transferred here after the Sorceress Edea took control of Galbadia Garden?" Tessa said awe. Her eyes grew wide and her interest piqued.

"Something like that," he said with a wave of his hand, acting a little surprised that she didn't seem to know who he was. "Now, let's see what we can put on that cute little figure of yours." He winked and formed a pistol with his fingers, which he aimed at her.

"My ID number is CL99F-5," she offered, trying to be helpful.

"Actually, it's another set of numbers I need," he said as he fired his imaginary gun at her.

"I'm an eight," she told him with a glance at the guitar-girl.

He winked and dove beneath the counter. Tessa could hear the scratching of cardboard on concrete and assumed that there were boxes through which he was pawing. He reappeared a minute later with a skirt and shirt encased in plastic.

"Actually, I meant that I'm an eight in men's clothing," Tessa said with a laugh and a slap to her forehead. "Sorry about that."

"Huh?" he said, his accent momentarily faltering. Then he seemed to catch himself and tried to cover it up with an extra thick twang. "Why would a purdy thang like you need to go and wear men's clothes?"

"I think skirts are a symbol of the division between the sexes. That's why I never wear them," Tessa said. She lifted up her leg and showed him her pants for emphasis. "Feminism 101"

"Well, rules are rules. Sorry, Missy, but it's a skirt for you. Now, what's your real size?" he said with a tip of his hat. Tessa merely rolled her eyes. She had encountered such backward thinking before at Lotia Garden.

"No, they're not. I consulted the rule book before coming here, and it does not state anything about uniforms being specifically for one sex," Tessa said with a flick of her hair and a wink back. The cowboy grinned but tried to hide it. She could tell that he loved the confrontation.

"Still, I don't think I should let such a purdy thang as you hide yer body," he said.

Tessa could feel herself growing annoyed. She slammed one hand, open-palmed, on the counter and grabbed his shirt with the other. She pulled his face up to hers with surprising strength. Snarling, she growled: "I want my pants, you stupid hick." Then Tessa pushed him back into his seat.

His eyes were wide and his face pale with fear. Tessa was mentally patting herself on the back for it, when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Tessa turned around and saw the girl that had been playing the guitar.

She was a brunette and wore her hair with the ends spread out and slightly curved. Her skin was pale and her nose was oddly angled, like it had been broken some time before. She had green eyes that grew fiery that glared into Tessa's own.

"Keep your hands off of my man," the girl threatened as she shoved Tessa. "You have to go through me before you can get to him."

"You can keep the pig," Tessa said with a shove back. "He was the one flirting with me."

"Right, then why did YOU grab his shirt?" The girl wondered with the accompaniment of another push. Tessa stumbled a bit but stayed upright. "Everyone thinks that because he's Galbadian he must be a flirt, but he's not."

"Please," Tessa retorted with a roll of her eyes. "He's not a flirt because he's Galbadian, he's a flirt because he's a man."

"Just back off, okay?" the SeeD said with a ferociousness in her voice that Tessa had only heard once before, though she couldn't remember where. "He's mine, and you'd better remember that."

"All I need is my uniform, and I'll be on my way," Tessa said. The cowboy shoved something in Tessa's hand. Without thanking him, she took the package and walked away.

Tessa was halfway across the Quad before she looked at the outfit in her grasp. He had given her the women's outfit! Forming a fist with her free hand and tightening her grip on the uniform, Tessa turned around and resolutely marched back to the cowboy.

"I said I was a size eight in men's!" she yelled as she threw the package in his face. "Now give me my goddamn uniform so I can get the hell out of here!"

"You don't talk to him like that!" the SeeD screeched angrily. She had returned to her previous perch on the stage, but now she stood on it. The SeeD began to run, and when she reached the edge she dived off of it and tackled Tessa.

"Get off of me, you stupid bitch!" Tessa yelled as she took her clenched hand and punched the SeeD in her face.

"Get off my man!" the SeeD yelled back as she took a handful of Tessa's hair and pulled as hard as she could. Tessa felt several strands come loose.

Tessa painfully reared her head back and butted the other woman's head, with momentarily stunned the SeeD. Using the fraction of a second she had, Tessa brought as much of her knee as she could into the SeeD's ribcage. But before she could do anything else, the SeeD had her hands around Tessa's neck.

Feeling her lungs filling with stale air, Tessa struggled to breathe and tore uselessly at the SeeD's hands. The SeeD had received infinitely more training and probably been on numerous missions. Gathering what wits she had, Tessa unclenched her hand and rammed her jagged fingernails into the soft flesh of the SeeD's exposed side.

The SeeD released her grip, but Tessa felt another pair of hands wrap themselves around her. She watched as the cowboy restrained his girlfriend while the stranger lifted and then did the same to her.

Tessa struggled for a few seconds before giving up and calming down. She took in short, sharp breaths that cut her lungs. She held up her hands as a sign of peace and the person let her go. The cowboy, on the other hand, was forced to drag away his girlfriend with the help of the guitar guy. The two guys on the stage merely exchanged goofy glances, clearly aroused by the fight that they had just been witnesses to.

Angry, Tessa comforted herself with thoughts of how stupid men were.

"You may want to watch yourself around Selphie, she's pretty experienced. If she'd have had a GF junctioned, you would've been toast," the stranger warned.

Tessa turned around found herself staring at a woman that looked vaguely familiar. It was like they'd met before. The woman was wearing civilian clothing, like Tessa, but she gave off a feeling of warmth and tenderness. Her hair was black and hung loosely around her shoulders. Her eyes were brown and her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll. She wore a necklace with a ring, which was shaped like the head of a monster that Tessa had never before seen. In her left hand was a band of leather, which was attached to a chain that was connected to a dog at the woman's side.

"Selphie?" Tessa was shocked. "Selphie Tilmitt?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't know," the woman laughed, throwing her head back. "Let's get you to Cid. It'll save time and make you look better if you go before being summoned. Come on, I'll walk you there."

"Thanks," Tessa said, still trying to wrap her head around the fact that she had just been fighting one of the people that had saved the world. Never mind mind that it was from the clutches of a crazed Sorceress from the future.

The strange woman was talking about nonsense topics when something else occurred to Tessa. They'd just passed the infirmary when it struck her.

"If that was Selphie Tilmitt I was just fighting, does that mean that the guy in the cowboy getup was…"

"Yeah," the woman said with a laugh, "that was Irvine Kinneas, marksman extraordinaire. He fancies himself as a ladies man, but Selphie freaks out whenever another girl so much as brushes his arm as they walk through the halls."

"I can't believe I got into a fight with Selphie Tilmitt over Irvine Kinneas refusing to give me my requested uniform," Tessa groaned as she shook her head in disbelief. "I called him a stupid hick!"

"Hey, good for you," the woman congratulated with a full laugh as they stopped for the dog to scratch around and sniff at several potted plants in the Garden's lobby. "He has been a pain in the ass for who knows how long. I feel like slapping him every time I see him.

"Cheer up. Cid won't think too lowly of you. He's been doing this for a lot of years, and now that Edea is running Trabia Garden… well, he's less preoccupied than I hear he used to be," the woman told Tessa.

"Wow," Tessa said admirably as they strolled across the Garden Grounds. She was so interested in what the woman had to say that she didn't notice the people gawking at her. "You really know a lot. Do you know them?"

"I should," the woman said with another laugh. "I fought Ultimecia alongside them."

"Then you're…" but Tessa couldn't finish her sentence. She pointed at the woman's dog and spoke in a quiet whisper. "And that's…"

"You guessed it!" the woman said excitedly. She offered Tessa a friendly handshake, which Tessa shook a little too enthusiastically. "I'm Rinoa Heartilly and this my buddy, Angelo."

Tessa stopped walking and squatted to Angelo's eye-level. She reached out and felt his matted fur, and then she started to scratch under his muzzle.

"He's amazing," Tessa said in awe. Now that the woman had been revealed as Rinoa Heartilly, Tessa could understand how she was able to pull her and Selphie apart. However, she was also a little scared to be in the presence of an actual Sorceress. "How old is he?"

"He's six," Rinoa said with a little awe herself. "When most people learn about us, they focus solely on me and ignore him."

"I would never do that," Tessa said as Angelo licked her face. "I love animals, especially dogs and cats. At my old Garden, my roommate and I had a pet snake. She kept it, though."

"Old Garden?" Rinoa said sadly. "You're one of the Galbadia or Trabia refugees? I'm sorry for your loss. Is there a particular reason you haven't transferred back?"

"No," Tessa said quickly as she moved up to scratching behind Angelo's ears. "I transferred from Lotia Garden, today's my first day at Balamb Garden."

"Oh? I'm not familiar with that one," Rinoa said with a curious look. "It's your first day and already you've gotten into a fight, insulted a man over clothes, and met three famous people. Man, Seifer is going to love you."

"The security guard by the Administration Building?" Tessa asked with an eyebrow raised. She stood back up and they continued on their way to the headmaster

"You've met him then," Rinoa noted. "So you'll agree that he's… colourful?"

"Sure," Tessa answered with a shrug as they walked out of the entrance doors. The sunlight hit her eyes fiercely and when she lifted her hands to block it she realized just how much pain she was in.

"Are you okay?" Rinoa inquired when she saw Tessa's wincing face.

"Yeah, just a little sore," Tessa said as she slowly lowered her arms. She watched as two girls stood under a tree, whispering and pointing at Tessa. She was suddenly aware of her appearance. "Can we just go?"

The two women walked the rest of the way in silence, Angelo staying by Tessa's side. From time to time she would reach down and scratch his head and he would whine when she didn't. Before she knew it, Tessa found herself in front of the security shack.

"Hey, wake up!" Rinoa yelled. She put her hands on her hips and kicked the panelling on the side of the small building. Seifer roused and gave Rinoa a dirty look.

"What do you want?" he asked bitterly. He narrowed his eyes and Tessa swore she could hear him grinding his teeth.

"She needs to see Cid!" Rinoa yelled. She put her hand on the small of Tessa's back and pushed her to where Seifer could get a better view. "Let her through."

"Yeah? Again?" Seifer inquired with a flourish of his left hand. "Go on through and leave me alone."

"Good luck!" Rinoa said cheerfully with a slap on Tessa's back. She winced but Rinoa didn't notice. Tessa watched as Rinoa walked away, Angelo trotting at her side.

"Hey, move it already," Seifer called from behind Tessa, causing her to jump. She nodded and walked by.

As she walked into the Administration building for the second time that day, Tessa told herself that she'd love to watch Seifer be castrated.

FFVIII

"Ladies, I expect better of you," Cid told them with a drop of his head. Tessa watched as he rubbed his temples. Those two simple actions had made her sense of righteousness disappear and guilt filled their place.

"Sir!" Selphie said urgently, not even bothering to look in Tessa's direction. "Sir, I was provoked."

Cid looked up at Selphie with a look of annoyance. "Miss Tilmitt, just because she was flirting with Mr. Kinneas is not enough provocation to justify your actions."

"Sir, I was not flirting with him," Tessa interjected, but Cid gave her a disconcerting look that shut her up. She folded her arms across her chest and glowered back at him.

He ignored her and turned back to Selphie. "Listen: you are a SeeD, and that means that you are still under my jurisdiction as long as you're still at this Garden. Don't even try. I've heard it too many times," he said with a hand raised to silence Selphie. "Just because you were in the party that defeated Ultimecia does not mean that you get special privileges. In fact, it actually puts you in the position of role model, which you should take seriously."

Selphie's face just grew red. Tessa would've smirked if she weren't so afraid of Cid reprimanding her even more harshly than he was bound to.

"Now, you're free to go, but you have to report to the Disciplinary Committee tomorrow at 700 hours," Cid explained with a wave of his hand. Both women stood to leave, but Cid held his hand up again. "Antessence, I would like for you to stay here a while longer, we've yet to discuss your role."

Tessa sat back down and glared at Selphie as she walked by. Selphie mouthed "Antessence?" and gave a self-satisfying smile. Tessa was tempted to respond, but thought better and turned back to Cid. He waited until Selphie had closed the door to speak.

"Miss Matleo, I'm concerned. It's only your first day here at Balamb Garden, and you're already fighting. I hope this isn't a pattern of behaviour, but action still needs to be taken. However, I will give you the chance to explain, to me, how it started."

Tessa took a deep breath and thought to herself that maybe this one man wasn't an ass like all of the others. She cracked her knuckles and expelled her breath before speaking again.

"I was picking up my uniform and had an altercation with the man," she balled her hands into fists at the word, "over what were acceptable articles for female students. Miss Tilmitt had interjected herself into the argument. I was so angry that I asked for my uniform and left.

"On my way back to my dorm I found that the guy had given me what I had told him I didn't want. I was already mad and went back and threw it in his face," Cid's expression soured at this, but Tessa carried on. "I told him to fix my order and he refused, so I got in his face. That was when Miss Selphie attacked me. I swear, I did not take the first swing."

Cid leaned back in his chair and began rubbing his temples again. Tessa started to wring her hands, which were sweaty, out of nervousness.

"What was the article?" Cid asked while still rubbing his temples.

"Hmm?" Tessa asked, clearly not understanding his question.

"I asked you what the article you and Mr. Kinneas were fighting over," he said with a stern tone in his voice. He continued to rub his temples and avoid looking at Tessa.

"Pants," Tessa said quickly. "He said that skirts were required for the women's uniforms, and I told him I wanted pants."

"Skirts are required," Cid said. He quit rubbing his temples and clasped his hands together, laying them on his desk. He looked at Tessa with a small smile on his face.

The bastard was just like the rest of them. The stupid man. Tessa thought angrily about punching him in his face. "No, they aren't."

"They aren't?" Cid asked curiously. "Can you prove it?"

Tessa gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. "Yes, I can. The stated rules for being a student, being a SeeD, and being a faculty member at any Garden do not say women have to wear skirts. The rules for Balamb Garden have no such claim, nor do any addendums. I have researched it thoroughly and ask that you provide a passage proving my claims incorrect."

"Well, Muss Matleo, congratulations," Cid said with a short clap. "You've proven three things just now: one, that you take stands and stand by them; two, you clearly do your homework and know what you're saying before you say it; and three, you're not afraid of opposition. These are all good qualities for SeeDs."

"But I have to wear a skirt?" Tessa asked angrily through her clenched teeth.

"No, actually, I was testing you. Mr. Kinneas was mistaken, and you quite right. It just happens to be that you're the first one to challenge the status quo," Cid said with a twinkle in his eyes. "You have my permission to substitute pants in place of a skirt with your uniform, and to avoid any future confusion I'll add it to the list of rules on the Garden Network."

"Thank you, Sir." Tessa excitedly stood. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome, Miss Matleo. I just hope that I don't have to see you under such conditions again," Cid said. "Now, tomorrow you're to report to the Disciplinary Committee at 700 hours."

"Why?" Tessa asked out of confusion.

"Because you were fighting and need to be punished," he said with a laugh. "In case you don't know, the Disciplinary headquarters is the gatehouse in front of this building."

"Yes, Sir," Tessa replied with veiled contempt.

"Good, dismissed." Cid waved his hand. He turned away from Tessa and was clearly waiting for her to leave.

She thought that maybe he really was just another stupid man as she stormed out of his office and into the reception area. The receptionist looked up, but Tessa ignored her. The stupid man would pay for punishing her for defending herself.

FFVIII

"What are you wearing?" Latasha asked with a worried face later that day when Tessa walked back into the dorm's common room. She appeared to have been hunched over a book and studying. "You're going to get in trouble."

"I got clearance," Tessa said smugly as plopped down on a chair. She fingered her uniform's pants. "I had to fight for them, and I mean that literally."

"I heard about you and Selphie Tilmitt," Latasha told Tessa calmly. "I can't believe you would be stupid enough to hit on Irvine Kinneas. Everyone knows that they're a couple."

Tessa felt her face grow red with anger. "I was not hitting on him, he was hitting on me! Then his stupid bitch of a girlfriend attacked me!"

"Yeah right. Every new girl thinks they can have the pretty cowboy and can't take it when his girlfriend tells them to back off. I've seen it plenty of times; so don't act like Little Miss Innocent. Be honest," Latasha said with a roll of her eyes. She opened her book back up and started reading.

She was annoyed, but rather than pursue the subject, Tessa stomped to her room and slammed the door. She kicked over her still-packed suitcase and sat on the bed. She knew that Balamb Garden was good for her future, but if her first day was any indication, she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

Tessa yawned and stood up, then walked over to and picked up her suitcase. She brought it back to the bed and sat down with it on her lap. The clasp popped open and she lifted the lid.

Inside the suitcase were two pairs of pants, five flannel shirts, and a small notebook. She had left most of the stuff she had collected over her years at Lotia Garden, with her friends Liana and Dave. Tessa had wanted a clean start. It had been difficult for her to leave her prized possessions behind, but she knew it was for the best.

Tessa lifted the notebook out of the suitcase and set it on the bed. She ran her hands around the outside of the suitcase before closing it. Latching the clasps, she stood back up and walked over to the desk, where she set the suitcase.

There was a hard-backed, wooden chair pushed under the desk. Tessa pulled the chair out and sat down, draping herself over the wood as if she were empty clothes lain out to be worn. She closed her eyes and laid her head on the back of the chair.

She thought as she kicked one of the chair's legs, wondering what she was doing at Balamb Garden. Her first day hadn't even ended, and already everyone hated her.

Letting out a shuddering breath, Tessa felt her eyes growing wet. "No," she whispered, forcing her eyes open. The salty tears rolled down her face, but she paid them no heed. "I'm not one of those weak women. I won't let them beat me."

Again she stood, but Tessa flicked the overhead light off, shrouding the room in darkness. She sat back down on her bed and reached for the window. Her hand wrapped around the soft cotton of the curtain and she pulled it back, bathing the bed in the pale moonlight.

The notebook lay in the middle of a patch of light, its cover emblazoned with scribbled word and poor drawings of people in fighting poses. She grabbed the notebook and held it to her breast; her breath still jagged and tears still falling down her cheeks.

"Guys, I miss you," Tessa said as she opened the notebook. She flipped through pages of hastily written notes and the like until she found the one with an old, wrinkled photo taped onto it.

In the picture was Tessa, with her flaming red hair all frizzy and practically devouring her head. She was sitting on a large rock in the sun, and with her were a boy and girl, Liana and Dave.

Liana had short, black hair and it was streaked with light blue. Her deeply tanned skin contrasted with Tessa's own bizarrely pale skin. She was rather heavy, but no one ever said anything because she never spoke to anyone but Tessa and Dave, neither of whom cared.

David was wearing a brown and red striped sweater that was a few sizes too big, giving him the appearance of a young child. His blonde hair was by far the longest, reaching down to his shoulder blades. Tessa and Liana used to jokingly refer to him as “Madam” whenever nobody else was around.

They weren't popular by any stretch of the word, but they were so happy that they didn't care. Tessa's old roommate, Eileen, would always ask why someone as decent-looking as Tessa would hang out with a couple of losers, but Tessa would just shrug off the question.

She ran her fingers across the picture before closing the notebook. Tessa leaned over the edge of the bed and slid the notebook under it. Wiping her eyes and controlling her breathing, she laid her head on the pillow and closed her eyes. Then, without even bothering to change into something else, Tessa fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"You two are gonna scrub down the parking lot and wash all the cars," a large man with dark skin and angry muscles said. "And if there's any fighting you answer to Fujin, ya know. And that isn't fun!"

Raijin was easily the dumber of Seifer's lackeys, and despite his immense physical strength he always played second fiddle to Fujin. Fujin was an angry young woman with grey hair and an unexplained eye patch. Plus, for some unknown reason, she only spoke in one-word sentences.

"WORK!" Fujin commanded as she looked at the two young women with her one eye. It freaked Tessa out, but Selphie didn't seem to notice or care.

"Sure thing," Selphie said energetically as she grabbed one of the two buckets full of soapy water. Spilling an ample amount onto her boots, Selphie bounded to the nearest car. She reached into the bucket and pulled out and old rag, which she slammed against the windshield of the car. Humming happily, she began to wipe the windshield.

"YOU!" Fujin yelled at Tessa, who jumped at the power of the grey-haired woman's voice. Tessa looked at her feet and picked up the other bucket. She shuffled to the only other car, which just happened to be beside Selphie's.

"We're going to be scouting for other jokers like you two, so stay here," Raijin told Tessa and Selphie. "And you'd better both be alive when we get back!"

The man and woman left the garage and Tessa heard a door lock, which meant she was trapped with Selphie. Tessa set her bucket on the hood of the car and reached in, feeling for a rag or sponge, something to clean with.

"Here you go," Selphie said. Tessa heard a splashing sound before a soaked sponge slapped against one of the windows of the car. Luckily, she caught it before it slid to the ground. "They put two in mine."

"Thanks," Tessa replied awkwardly as she squatted and began to scrub the side of the car. Her car was a yellow SUV with a solitary red line that extended around its entire perimeter. She held her breath as she moved the sponge up and down the metal. She didn't know what kind of soap they were using, but it had an awful smell.

The two women worked in silence for an undetermined amount of time. Tessa was working on the front bumper when Fujin unlocked the door and ran inside, her eye wide with fear.

"DISMISSED!" she yelled with a jerk of her arm before running back out of the garage. Avoiding Selphie's look in her direction, Tessa threw the sponge in the bucket (which had been moved from the car hood to the garage floor) and ran after Fujin to see what happening.

Tessa tore out the door, and she could hear Selphie on her heels. She caught a glimpse of Fujin at the end of the yellow hallway that led from the garage to the commons of the Garden's interior. Fujin was running in the direction of the dorms, but when they reached them she passed by without a second glance.

By this time, Selphie had caught up with Tessa and the two were running stride for stride. Tessa looked down at Selphie's hands and noticed that she had her nunchuks out.

Tessa wondered where the weapon had been as she pressed ahead, still keeping Fujin's form in her line of sight. Fujin reached the cafeteria and turned into the red hallway that led to it. Tessa and Selphie followed a few seconds later.

"What the hell?" Tessa said aloud when she reached the swinging doors that led to the cafeteria. There was a crowd of people gathered around trying to peer through the two small glass windows to see what was causing the ruckus.

Tessa stopped and Selphie ran into her, toppling both women. She looked and saw a large group of feet shuffle and make way for Fujin's to get through. Then, Tessa picked herself up and felt Selphie roll off and hit the floor.

She tapped the nearest person, a short guy in a SeeD uniform, on the shoulder. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Yeah," Selphie said when she finally got back to her feet. "What's happening?"

The SeeD turned around and looked at Selphie, completely disregarding Tessa. "I just got here, but someone told me that this guy just snapped and ripped another guy's throat out. With his teeth."

Tessa felt the blood drain from her face, but she watched in awe as Selphie shouldered her way through the crowd. Selphie pushed the doors open. Tessa caught a glimpse of Raijin trying to hold back a man while trying to not get bitten before the doors closed again. A spit second later Selphie reappeared. Her face was white as chalk.

"Someone get a medic, quick!" she yelled before vanishing behind the red doors again.

Everyone just stood around, looking confused and scared. "Move it!" Tessa yelled as she tried to push her own way through the small sea of people. Nobody budged. "I'm a medical major!"

When she reached the doors, Tessa pushed through uninhibited. She slipped and fell in a sticky liquid: blood. It took everything that Tessa had to keep from vomiting as she climbed out of the red pool. She wiped her hands on her pants and looked around.

Selphie was using her nunchuks to restrain a SeeD with a large chunk of skin and cartilage missing from his neck. The guy was pinned to the ground, clutching at his neck and going into hysterics. Meanwhile, Raijin was holding the stranger in a headlock while Fujin kicked his ribs and stomach, but the man wouldn't calm down.

"What are you doing in here?" Selphie yelled when she saw Tessa standing by the door.

"You called for a medic?" Tessa answered weakly.

"If that's you, then get over here," Selphie called back. Tessa stumbled to Selphie's side and helped hold the SeeD down.

The moment Tessa looked into the SeeD's eyes though, her years of medical training kicked in immediately. "His neck has one large open wound. It appears to be a bite. No major arteries or veins were hit, but some of his vocal cords are missing. If we don't do something soon, he'll drown in his own blood. I need to get something in there to help him start breathing. Go see if there's a sterile basting utensil in the kitchen. Stat!" she yelled at Selphie. "Get a knife while you're at it, something sharp!"

Selphie climbed to her feat and ran to the kitchen, leaving just Tessa to hold him down. The SeeD then started to wildly thrash about.

"Hey!" she yelled at Fujin, who stopped kicking the other guy long enough to look in her direction. "Get over here and help me!"

Fujin abandoned her attempts to help incapacitate the attacker and helped Tessa hold the SeeD down, which helped stop his thrashing. Selphie returned a few seconds later with a basting utensil in one hand and a large steak knife in the other. At her heels were two lunch ladies. One scared out of her mind and the other calm and silent. The calm one had only one arm.

"Get Dr. Kadowaki!" Selphie yelled at the lunch ladies as she handed the tools to Tessa. "Go, now!"

"Hold him down!" Tessa yelled at Selphie as the two lunch ladies ran out the doors and into the hallway. "This is going to hurt and he's going to try to fight me!"

Selphie threw her nunchuks aside and held the SeeD down as Tessa tucked the basting utensil under her arm. She took the knife in one hand and grabbed the SeeD's head with the other. She turned his head so that his neck, where he'd been bitten, was better exposed.

Tessa took the knife and, as carefully as she could, she cut at the skin around the bite. This only caused the SeeD to fight harder, but the two formidable women were more than enough to handle him. Tessa pushed aside several veins and set the knife down on her pant leg and grabbed the basting utensil. Using one hand to keep the gap open, Tessa plunged the tool into the SeeD's neck and began sucking out the blood that had become trapped. She withdrew the basting utensil, squirted its contents onto the linoleum floor, and repeated the process.

Soon the SeeD stopped struggling and Tessa stopped draining the blood long enough to grab a limp hand at the wrist. "Shit, he has no pulse!" Tessa said as she threw the basting utensil aside. She picked up the knife and began hacking away at the SeeD's shirt.

"You, help him!" Tessa ordered Fujin as she pointed as Raijin who was still struggling with the crazed attacker. Then she turned to Selphie. "You try to seal that hole in his neck as best you can."

"With what?" Selphie asked nervously, looking around.

"Use your hands!" Tessa shouted as she grabbed Selphie's hands and pressed them against the SeeD's wound. "Keep them there!"

Tessa then started to push down on the SeeD's chest with her own hands. She moved and closed his nose with one hand, took a deep breath, and put her mouth on the SeeD's. She breathed the air from her lungs into his as best she could.

She moved back to his chest and started pushing on it again, but she still couldn't get his heart to beat. Tessa moved back to his mouth and took another deep breath and was about to expel the air into his lungs when a stern voice told her stop.

"I'm sorry. He's dead," a heavy woman with a plump face and thick glasses said. She was wearing her dark brown hair back in a bun and a long white coat covered her body.

"No, he's not!" Tessa screamed as she started pushing on his chest again. Selphie let go of his neck and stood up. Tessa looked up at her, shrieking. "What are you doing?"

Selphie grabbed Tessa from behind and pulled her away from the dead SeeD. Tessa turned around and buried her face into Selphie's blood-soaked chest, large tears falling from her eyes. Sympathetically, Selphie patted her back.

After a minute or so, Tessa backed away from Selphie and looked at Raijin and Fujin. They were still struggling with the attacker. Large beads of sweat were covering Raijin's head, clearly showing how tired he was.

The attacker finally broke out of Raijin's fatigued grip and charged at Selphie. Tessa pushed her out of the way and stood ready to embrace the attack. She cupped her hands together and as soon as the madman reached her she delivered a haymaker to the side of his head.

There was a sickening CRACK and the man collapsed at Tessa's feet. She backed away and tripped over the body of the dead SeeD. Tessa fell hard on her butt, landing in another large pool of blood.

"Hey, are you okay?" Selphie asked, offering Tessa a hand. Taking it, Tessa stood and shivered like she was freezing to death.

"I-I…" was all that Tessa could say. She closed her eyes and swallowed a large ball of spit that had lodged itself in her throat.

"Get her out of here," the woman in the white coat ordered as she loomed over the bodies of the attacker and his victim.

Selphie wrapped her arm around Tessa's shoulder and led her through the red double doors. The crowd of people had grown even larger. Still, everyone moved out of the way of the two women. They passed Latasha, who stared at the bloody Tessa with her mouth hanging wide open.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Selphie ordered sadly as she led Tessa to the dorms. Tessa shuffled along with Selphie, her mind blank and her breathing laboured. The people in the commons pointed at the two women and kept asking Selphie what happened. Neither spoke with the bystanders.

When they got to the dorms, they passed Tessa's and walked further down the hallway. They stopped outside of dorm number 32S. A young man with spiked blonde hair and a large tattoo on his face answered the door. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open, just like everyone else's had.

"Zell, can we come in? There's been a murder in the cafeteria," Selphie informed him. Her voice was thick with regret.

"Sure, just let me go kick that guy's ass," Zell said as he opened the door for the two women. He slammed his right fist into his left palm and made to leave, but Selphie grabbed the back of his SeeD's uniform.

"There's no ass to kick. It's over." Selphie kept her eyes trained on Tessa. "We just need to use your bathroom."

"Sure thing. It's right over there." Zell pointed to a door on the left side of the room. The walls of the room were covered with posters of men in various fighting stances, and his desk was covered with copies of Weapons Monthly and Combat King.

"Thanks," Selphie said as she led the still speechless Tessa to the bathroom. She was turning the knob when Zell put his hand on her shoulder.

"Did the killer attack her?" Zell asked with a nod at Tessa.

"No," Selphie said, her eyes lowered. "She killed him."

FFVIII

"How are you doing?" Selphie asked Tessa as she closed the bathroom door. Tessa sat on the toilet, shivering and trying to think of something warm. "Are you okay?"

Selphie turned over a bucket and sat on it. There was a clean washcloth sitting on top of a clean towel inside the shower. Zell had clearly been about to take a shower when they had knocked on his door.

"I'm sure he won't mind," Selphie said as she leaned over and grabbed the cloth from the bottom of the shower. She stood and made the three-step walk to the sink, then turned on the hot water and soaked the cloth. After shutting the water off and wringing it out, Selphie sat back down on the bucket and grabbed Tessa's face. She made to wipe of a large patch of blood from Tessa's chin, but the younger girl jerked away.

"I'm sorry," Tessa whispered, her voice brittle.

"Hey, there's no need to be sorry. You kicked that guy's ass!" Selphie told her cheerfully. She reached out and wiped a blood smear from Tessa's forehead.

"But I killed him!" Tessa said loudly in a horrified voice. "And I didn't save the guy!"

"Hey, we can't save everybody," Selphie said as she wiped another spot of blood from Tessa's face. Then she grabbed Tessa's left hand and began to scrub it with the cloth. "Besides, you did save me."

"Selphie?" Zell said in an unsure tone as he knocked from the other side of the door. "Irvine's here, he wants to see you."

"Excuse me," Selphie said as she slapped the stained cloth into Tessa's hands and walked out of the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and Tessa soon heard muffled voices emanating through the wood.

Tessa shook her head, the fog shrouding her mind lifting away. She stood up, the cooling cloth still in her grasp, and walked over to the mirror to stare long and hard at herself.

She didn't know what to think as she touched her blood-drenched face. Gasping when she saw that her hands were completely covered with blood as well, she stumbled back from her reflection.

Dropping the cloth in the sink, Tessa turned away from the mirror and grabbed the doorknob. She opened the door and walked out in all of her bloody glory. Selphie and Zell turned around to look at her, but Irvine merely tipped his hat.

"How are you, Lil Lady?" he asked with an eerie calm. Tessa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Are you still scared?"

"Shut the hell up!" Tessa exploded. She pushed Selphie and Zell out of her way so that she could look right in his face. "I'm not your Little Missy, Lady, or anything else, you stupid man. You are nothing to me, and that's all you'll ever be. So just shut the fuck up and leave me the hell alone!"

Tessa pushed Irvine with all of her strength and he fell backward, tripping over some magazines and landing on the bed. The angry woman stood over him for a few seconds, her nostrils flared, and then she turned away and opened the door to the hallway.

She walked down the surprisingly empty hall until she reached the commons. She looked down one long walkway to her left and another to her right. She knew that if she took either they would circle around to the lobby, but she wanted to go to the cafeteria.

Trying to remember the way, Tessa turned left. She rubbed at her hands, trying to get some of the blood to come off, when she saw the doorway leading to the garage.

"Shit!" Tessa yelled loudly. She turned around and ran back the way she had come, again passing the dorms.

By the time she got back to the cafeteria hallway, it was full of bodies trying to push through and see the carnage.

"Move it! let me through!" Tessa yelled, though no one listened. She grabbed a couple of girls in student uniforms and threw them out of her way. Moving with the seething mass, she slowly made her way to the forefront of the crowd.

Standing in front of the doors, keeping out the students and SeeDs alike, were Raijin and Fujin. Tessa tried to catch their attention, but they had their hands full with everyone else.

"Hey, hey, make way!" an authoritative voice rang out, one that Tessa recognized. She turned around and saw Seifer striding through the crowd, followed by Headmaster Cid and another man.

The man was wearing black jeans and a white t-shirt. On his left ring finger was a ring with a monster on it that Tessa was sure she had seen before. It didn't take the gunblade in the same hand to alert her as to who he was: she was staring at Squall Leonhart.

Raijin and Fujin pushed open the doors and the two men strode through. The doors swung shut on their backs and Tessa was again awestruck. She had just seen the SeeD that had saved the world from Ultimecia. For a moment, she had even forgotten why she was even trying to get into the cafeteria.

Again the doors opened and Seifer stepped out and started talking to Raijin, but Tessa couldn't hear what he was saying over the murmurs of everyone else. Fujin looked over the crowd and saw Tessa standing there, still covered in blood. She leaned over and tapped on Seifer's shoulder and pointed at Tessa.

Seifer narrowed his eyes and walked over to Tessa, who held her breath out of nerves. "Are you the medic?"

"Yes," Tessa answered weakly.

"Where is Selphie Tilmitt: the SeeD who was present during the incident?"

"In the dorms," Tessa answered as truthfully as she could.

"Which dorm?" Seifer asked, irritated. He tapped a finger to his forehead and glared at the girl.

"I don't remember," she said as she stared at her feet.

"Figures," Seifer said angrily. "Get in there. The Headmaster and his Golden-Boy want to see you."

"Yes, Sir," Tessa saluted as she walked past him and to the swinging doors. She was pushing through when Seifer called to her.

"Oh, and thanks for helping. You were so useful!" he shouted sarcastically. Tessa stopped momentarily and closed her eyes. Then she shook her head, opened her eyes, and continued on her way.

The two bodies lay exactly where she had seen them last. The woman in the white coat had the Headmaster pulled aside and was talking to him. Tessa didn't find out what they were discussing, though, because when Cid saw her he broke away from the conversation and approached the nervous young student.

His eyes were wide in shock, which Tessa attributed to the conditions of their meeting. "Miss Matleo, it was you?" His tone was one of shock. "You performed the procedure on Mr. Rush?"

"Who?" Tessa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Our unfortunate victim," Cid said with a gesture to the dead SeeD. Though he was speaking to her, he was avoiding her eyes. Tessa began wringing her hands.

"Yes, Sir. I attempted an emergency tracheotomy, but it failed. I had neither the equipment nor the training to do the procedure accurately." There was a touch of regret to Tessa's voice.

"Why?" Cid looked past her and to the doors. The curious mass of people out of the cafeteria was hard to ignore.

"It was a split-second decision. If we had attempted to move him there would have been more, possibly irreparable, damage. And if we had waited for this Dr. Kadowaki to show up, he would have suffocated on his blood. It was pooling in his larynx." Tessa listed off what she could remember.

"Raijin told me that the killer went after Selphie Tilmitt, a trained SeeD, but that you pushed her out of the way and struck him, causing his death. Why would you, a student, get between a SeeD and an attacker?" Cid asked as he continued to stare at the doors.

"Well, Sir, I had noticed Selphie holding nunchuks earlier and guessed that she had received her training with them. However, when she was targeted she did not have her weapons on her. I did what I thought was best."

"Yes, well, I'll take these factors into consideration." Thoughtfully, Cid stroked his chin. Tessa raised both her eyebrows in shock at the Headmaster's words.

"Consideration of what?" Tessa asked.

"Oh, it's nothing to concern yourself with." Cid waved her off. Stepping aside, Tessa watched as the woman in the white coat stepped up to him.

Tessa looked around and saw Squall leaning against a pillar, half-obscured by a potted plant. She walked over to the body of the attacker and knelt next to it. Her fingers traced his neck, and when she reached the bumps she knew that she was right in her earlier thoughts.

She had broken his neck, but it wasn't possible. Even though she'd been trained in martial arts, she didn't have the physical heft to break a man's neck. Her training was primarily defensive. One would need to be more versed in offensive techniques to build up the strength needed to break a bone without intending to do so.

There was a bad stench emanating from the body that she hadn't noticed before. It was incredibly strong and made her eyes water. She set both hands on his face, which was oddly cold. It was too soon: his body should still be warm.

She moved his face and looked on both sides, not sure what she was looking for. Then she moved her gaze down to his hands, which were badly scratched. She lifted one and pushed back the sleeve of his red windbreaker jacket. There were only more scratches, so she let it fall. Then she lifted the other arm. It was also scratched, and she pushed the sleeve back on this one as well. Then she found something that caught her eye.

The arm was covered in scratches, just like the other one, but there was a small sore on it that seemed to have grown infected with something that she hadn't seen in her three years of study medicine at Lotia Garden. Yet, as diseased as it was, Tessa recognized the wound. It was very similar to the one she had just treated. The attacker had been bitten too, just not to the same degree.

Tessa looked back at the man's face and made to close his eyes when she noticed something odd about them. They weren't a normal colour. Something like blue or brown; these eyes were red. Tessa bit her lip and stared at them for what seemed like hours, but only have been seconds. Then the eyes moved and focused on her, and the mouth began to move in a biting fashion.

"AAAH!" Tessa screamed at the top of her lungs, catching the attention of everyone else in the cafeteria. She jerked her hand away from the cadaver's face and scooted away from the body. Within a second Squall was at her side, but she was still staring at the moving head.

"What is it?" he asked in a deep voice, brushing a lock of red hair from her face.

Tessa couldn't speak, she just pointed at the head, which was still moving about.

"Headmaster!" Squall yelled. "Dr. Kadowaki!"

Cid and the woman in the white coat rushed over to where Squall and Tessa were, and they too stared with horrified looks at the scene before them.

"What's going on?" Tessa asked Cid, but he looked at Dr. Kadowaki. "What is this?"

"Any ideas, Doctor?" Cid asked the doctor.

"I've never seen this before." Dr. Kadowaki took off her glasses, wiped them on her coat, and put them back on. She had a disappointed look on her face, like she had been expecting to find the head still like it should have been. But she didn't look shocked. "I've never even read about it."

"Sir, we heard a scream and…" a man's voice interrupted. Tessa turned around and saw Seifer rush into the room, followed by Selphie. "Wait, what's so interesting about a dead body?"

Squall stood up and moved so that the new arrivals could see what was occurring. Seifer merely narrowed his eyes, but Selphie turned away and began to puke on the floor.

"What the hell is that?" Seifer asked as he raised his right hand and pointed at the head. "Is this some kind of a joke?"

"It's no joke. We don't know what it is," Squall said as he hefted he his gunblade. He laid the dull side of it against his shoulder.

In the confusion, Tessa slipped away and crawled to the nearby body of the SeeD known as Rush. She looked over his wound, wiping away the blood so that she could better see the damage. It was hard to tell where he had been bitten and Tessa had cut away the skin. When she delved deeper she found that the area where the vocal cords had been ripped out by the attacker's teeth was already showing severe signs of infection.

Tessa stood up and wiped her hands on her pants, further ruining them with blood. She started to walk away when a groaning sound started from behind her. She whipped around and saw the SeeD slowly climbing to his feet.

She was too stunned to think. Everyone else was still staring, transfixed, at the other body whose head was moving. It seemed ridiculous to Tessa, when there was a whole body moving that they were ignoring.

Looking around, Tessa saw Selphie's nunchuks lying behind the moving dead man. She ran and dove past it, hitting the ground and rolling. She swept her leg under his. It knocked him back down, but when he hit the floor he grabbed her leg and tried to bite. Tessa responded by kicking his head.

Struggling to reach the nunchuks that were just beyond her fingertips, and not get bitten in the process, Tessa let out a shriek that caught the attention of everyone else in the room. Most of the adults stood gaping, with Seifer joining Selphie in her puking party, but Squall leaped into action. He kicked the dead SeeD in the ribs. Much like when Fujin tried it on the initial attacker, it proved ineffective.

Tessa kicked at the SeeD's head again and stretched her fingers out to the nunchuks. Squall lifted his gunblade and drove it into the lower back of the SeeD, but it didn't even slow him down. Tessa's fingers finally made contact with one of the nunchuks. She rolled it to where she could get a grip.

Kicking again, Tessa lashed out with the nunchuk, but only hit her own leg instead of the thing clutching at her. Squall pulled his gunblade out of the SeeD and struck again. This time, he hit one of the dead man's arms. The gunblade slid right through the muscle and bone, separating it completely from the body.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the arm that housed the hand grasping onto Tessa's leg. It seemed to be doing so with inhuman strength. Again, Tessa kicked at it, but she missed. Instead, she struck the man's the hand. This gave the SeeD an opening to go after her leg. It bit down but only got a mouthful of the pants, never making contact with her leg. Tessa kicked as hard as she could, having lost track at this point how many times she had made the same attack. It pushed the SeeD's head back and tore off a large patch of her pants in the process.

The SeeD named “Rush” spat out the fabric. If it weren't for the fact that Tessa was holding his head back with her foot, he would surely have bitten her. Then, in a metallic flash, Rush's head rolled off his body and into Tessa's chest. She grabbed it by the hair and threw it at the wall: a trail of blood fell onto the floor after it.

"Here." Squall offered Tessa a hand, but she ignored it. After kicking the now-limp body off, she climbed to her feet and stood. Her balance was unsteady.

After orienting herself, Tessa walked to the decapitated head that had smashed into the wall. A surprisingly large pool of blood has spilled from it. She snatched it by the scalp and raised it up. She held the dead face to her own pale one. Then she turned the head to face the rest of the cafeteria. Its lips moved silently, and its mouth was clearly trying to bite Tessa. Its eyes were a vivid red and moved rapidly from person to person.

Tessa cleared her throat and tried to speak in a strong voice. She knew she wasn't very convincing, but didn't let it show. "Would someone please tell me just what the fuck is going on?"

FFVIII

Tessa became a bit of a reluctant star after the cafeteria incident, though her fame only lasted a couple of weeks. She learned that Rush, the dead SeeD, had been one of a group of students, "The Trepies". They were fans of the reinstated instructor: Quistis Trepe. Nobody figured out who the stranger was or how he got into the Garden, nor did anyone know anything about the post-death reanimation either. Headmaster Cid had made an order not to tell anyone. Not even instructors knew. Seifer was even barred from telling Raijin and Fujin.

Selphie had personally delivered Tessa's new uniform as a sign of goodwill. Tessa took it, but there wasn't much discussed. However, she did later laugh when she found an extra pair of pants in the package.

Latasha had initially tried to pry information out of Tessa, but when she stayed tight-lipped, the roommate gave up. The girls had gotten over the fight from the first night, but they didn't bond. They lived their lives pretty separately.

When she wasn't in class, Tessa had taken to volunteering in the infirmary. She felt that she needed to try to get more real medical experience. There weren't many serious cases to take care of, though. It was mostly younger students that had either lost fights in the Training Centre or injured themselves with their weapons.

Sometime during her second month at Balamb Garden, a student showed up with a nasty bite on her leg. It was bloody and looked infected. The young woman winced as Tessa pushed up her skirt to get a better look.

"You know, women can wear pants instead of skirts now, don't you?" Tessa said as she snapped on her latex gloves. She had been given a white jacket very much like Dr. Kadowaki's, and she was sitting upon a stool that had wheels on the bottom. “They offer a lot more protection than these skirts everyone seems to love.”

Tessa rolled away and grabbed a clipboard and pen from a nearby desk. She took the cap off the pen and rolled back to her patient.

"Name?"

"Erin, Erin Sans," she answered as she messed with the hem of her skirt. Tessa wrote her name and looked back to the young woman.

"Okay, Erin. Tell me what happened," Tessa ordered, her pen poised above the paper on the clipboard. "And do try to remember everything."

Erin cleared her throat and swung her legs slightly. "I was walking to Balamb and strayed off the path. I know, it's dangerous," she added when she saw Tessa open her mouth, "and I don't need a lecture from someone only two years or so older than me.

"Anyway, I strayed off the path and was wandering through a wood, looking at the trees and plant life when I was attacked by a Catcherpillar. Now, as I'm sure you know, they're pretty easy to kill. I used a Water spell and was prepared to walk away when something weird happened," Erin told Tessa calmly.

Then she paused for a few seconds so that Tessa could get everything down.

"As I was saying, I was walking away when the Catcherpillar leaped up and bit my leg. That was when I pulled out my dagger and rammed it straight through the sucker's skull. I'm training to be a Sabre specialist, you know, but they don't let you use swords until you're a Class C. I'm only Class E, though."

Tessa wrote down what she thought was important. "You said the Catcherpillar attacked you after you used a Water spell? What's so unusual about that?"

Erin put a hand over her mouth and sniggered. "You don't know much, do you? Catcherpillars are Electric Elementals, and thus are weak against Water magic."

Tessa rolled her eyes and gripped the clipboard at the top with both hands, the pen twiddling between the middle and index fingers of her right hand. "Let me ask you something," Tessa told Erin, "what is your magic level, right now?"

"Uh, it's one, why?" Erin asked.

"It's just that Sabres don't use magic often, so the Catcherpillar must have survived your weak Water spell," Tessa informed the girl. "Don't worry about it, though. Medics tend to not be very strong, either. It's because we rely quite often on Curative magic."

"You look strong," Erin said as she pointed to Tessa's muscles, "and you're a medic."

"Yes, but I'm the exception to the rule. I always have been, and I always will be," Tessa replied with a smile. "Now, let's get back to business. When did this happen? Because your wound looks like it might be infected."

"It happened earlier today. I came straight here when I got back to the Garden." Erin tilted her head and bit her bottom lip. "So I'm okay?"

"It appears so, but I'm going to have to take some samples and treat you just in case," Tessa said as she wrote down the added information. "Just read it over, and if you agree with what I have down, then you should sign it and put your keycard number in the appropriate space on the form."

"No actual keycards required?" Erin said with a tone of shock in her voice.

"Nope, Dr. Kadowaki wouldn't allow it. She said that it would interfere with the timely treatment of her patients," Tessa said as she rolled across the room to a cabinet. She opened it and pulled out a small bottle and a box of bandages. Then she looked over at Erin before closing the cabinet and rolling back.

"Here you are." Tessa readjusted Erin's skirt so that the bite was better exposed. She had to blink several times because it appeared to have gotten minutely worse since she had initially checked it. It didn't seem to be possible, but she could have been wrong. "You have that formed filled out for me?"

"Yeah," Erin said as she held out the clipboard and pen.

"Just set those on the table next to you." Tessa gave a jerk of her head. "Now, for liability reasons, you're not addicted or allergic to Holy Water are you?"

"No," Erin answered with a snigger. "But how could you be?"

"It's a psychological reaction to the stuff, not mental," Tessa explained as she unscrewed the cap on the bottle. "Here, just hold still."

"Why not just use a Remedy?" Erin asked as Tessa poured the contents of the small bottle onto her leg. "It would clear this right up."

"Because," Tessa said as she rolled away and threw the bottle in the medical waste can, "Remedies are expensive and Holy Water cures more things than our other Status Medicine. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine, though." Tessa rolled back over to Erin and opened the box of bandages. "However, I do want you to try and see Dr. Kadowaki tomorrow, because I'm only a student here." She pressed the bandage against Erin's leg and smoothed out the bumps in the adhesive tape.

"Whatever, see you later." Erin jumped down from the examination table and walked out of the room.

"Hey!" Tessa called loudly when Erin reached the doorway. She took off her gloves and waited for Erin to turn around. "I wasn't kidding about the pants. Check it out."

FFVIII

"Can anyone name the spell that makes you almost immune to the Earth Elemental?" Quistis Trepe asked her class. "And no cheating: leave your console screens blank."

Tessa groaned because she hadn't studied the Elementals the night before. She had been up the entire night researching the behavioural differences between the Status Effects Berserk and Confusion for her Advanced Medicines class with Professor Aki.

Luckily, Quistis didn't call on Tessa because another student, a boy with a large bandage on his face, raised his hand. "Is it Float?"

"Yes." Quistis sat on the edge of her desk. She was wearing a SeeD uniform and black boots. Tessa was relieved to notice that Quistis was wearing pants with her uniform instead of a skirt, though some of the boys weren't. She really admired the instructor because although she was beautiful, a tall thin blonde, she was also very intelligent. And even though she wore glasses, Quistis was also known for being incredibly strong. At any time she could be seen carrying her whip, which was coiled up and attached to her hip via a belt. "But can anyone tell me why it's not foolproof?"

When no one volunteered, Quistis glanced around the room and Tessa tried to sink lower into her seat. "Ah, yes, how about you, Antessence?"

Tessa sat up and was very aware of the fact that everyone was looking at her. "Um, is it because of the attacks of Earth-based Guardian Forces?"

"Yes, but that's not all of it," Quistis said as she stood up and walked amongst the class. "Students, you can turn on your consoles now. The first one to tell me the rest of the answer only has to do the odd-numbered questions on tonight's homework."

Tessa turned on her console and scrolled through the menu until she found the Tutorial section. She click on it and was looking for the Elementals section when the same young man who had answered the Float questioned raised his hand.

"Yes, Phelan?" Quistis said. She was clearly impressed; Phelan Barlow was usually struggling to keep up with his Introduction to Basic Magic class. Quistis taught students how to draw and master Level One Magic such as Blizzard and Fire.

"Is it if your opponent is human and has an Earth-based Magic junctioned to his Elemental Attack?" Phelan asked, clearly unsure of whether or not he had the correct answer.

"Yes, that is absolutely correct," said Quistis happily with a look at the clock. Tessa followed her eyes and saw that it was nearly 1800 hours: the end of the class. Quistis walked to her desk and picked up a piece of chalk. "Your assignment for tonight is to read pages 59-67 of Magic and Junctions and to answer the questions on pages 68 and 69." Then, for emphasis, Quistis wrote the numbers down on the chalkboard behind her desk.

Tessa began to collect her things. She was going to go to the library with her friends, the Trepies. They had come to Tessa with questions about Rush's death, but eventually they bonded over the mutual admiration of Quistis.

"Yo, Tessa, come on!" Aili yelled from the doorway. Aili was a short, dark-skinned brunette girl with a loud voice and bubbly personality. She was also one of the people with whom Tessa squabbled most because she refused to wear pants instead of a skirt.

"I'll be right there!" Tessa yelled backed. She closed her book and gathered everything in her hands. She was just getting out of her booth at the console when Phelan walked up to her.

"Hey, Antessence," he said nervously. He kept his head down, looking at his feet.

"Hi, Phelan," Tessa returned as she pushed past him, trying to get out of the classroom before too many of the students from the next class piled in the room. "Oh, and it's Tessa."

"Sure thing," Phelan said dejectedly to her back as she ran out the door. Tessa stopped and turned around. With a sigh she walked back to Phelan. She didn't have the time for this.

"Alright, what is it? What do you want?" she wondered in a voice quivering with restrained annoyance.

Phelan kicked at his left foot with his right. "I was wondering if, sometime, you'd like to go to Balamb with me. You know, grab a bite to eat or something. They just opened a new restaurant by the docks."

Tessa rolled her eyes. The last thing she needed was for some loser man to have a crush on her, but free food was free food. "Sure, whatever. I have to go," she said as she turned and strode to the door. She was just walking out when she ran into Professor Aki.

"Watch where you're going!" he snapped bitterly, which was his custom. Professor Aki was the least liked instructor at Balamb Garden because he was so rude to his students, but he was also one of the best ones because he expected so much of them that they strived to keep from failing. He was older, fifty or so, and he walked with a limp. Rumour had it that he had been a freedom fighter in Timber before coming to teach at Balamb Garden.

"Sorry, Sir," Tessa said to the grey-haired instructor. "I'll be more careful from now on."

"You expect me to believe that?" he all but screamed as he pushed Tessa out of his way and stromped to the desk. He grabbed an eraser from it and began to wipe off the notes that Quistis had written on the board.

Tessa thought bitterly about the stupid old man as she left the classroom. She was walking down the hall to the elevator when Phelan caught up to her. “Now what?”

"Tessa, how does Friday sound?" he asked as they walked side by side.

"For what?" Tessa replied angrily, still upset over her encounter with Aki. They reached the elevator and she pounded the "down" button with her open palm.

"Our date" Phelan sounded excited. He was standing so close to Tessa that she could smell the disinfectants emanating from his bandage.

"Sure, Friday," she agreed in a distracted voice. The elevator didn't come so she pushed the button again and kicked the metal sliding doors. "Whatever makes you happy."

The elevator dinged and Tessa stepped in just as the P.A. went off. "Antessence Matleo to the infirmary. I repeat, Antessence Matleo to the infirmary."

"Great," Tessa said sarcastically as the metal doors slid shut and the elevator began to whir down to the first floor. "Just great."


End file.
